A ferry fare? Don't even think about it

We might have known it would come to this: With the city still hurting financially and desperately looking for new revenue sources, some budget experts in city government are suggesting the city take a look at reinstating a 50-cent fare on the Staten Island Ferry.

This lame-brain idea comes from the Independent Budget Office (IBO), a publicly funded agency that provides nonpartisan information about the city budget to the public and elected officials.

That would save the city $4.8 million, the IBO claims.

The IBO also proposes to eliminate nighttime ferry service and replace it with bus service, which would yield another $4.4 million.

In fairness, it’s just one of a number of proposals the IBO has put forth in its annual “Budget Options for New York City” report on how the city can save money. Others, such as putting tolls on the East River bridges, are bound to raise hackles in the other boroughs.

“If you look at the collection of options as a whole, there’s really something for everyone to hate, no matter where you live or your political viewpoint,” said IBO chief of staff and communications director Doug Turetsky.

True, the IBO has no formal policy-making power, but it does have influence on the people who do make policy. And just as with other ideas meant to benefit the rest of the city at the expense of Staten Islanders, it’s bound to have some appeal in the other boroughs.

Certainly, those running for citywide office are going to see charging a fare for the ferry as far less politically explosive than some of IBO’s other revenue-generating proposals, such as restoring the commuter tax or increasing the city income tax.

And elected officials in the other boroughs whose constituents don’t have to rely on the ferry are likely to be all for it.

State Sen. Diane Savino said, “I don’t believe that gaps in the budget should be tied to Island commuters, who already have very few options and already pay ludicrous fees and taxes to the City of New York.”

She added acidly, “If you really need a cost-cutting move, I’ve got one for you: Eliminate the IBO [which would save $4.4 million].”

Moreover, there were good reasons beyond politics that then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani eliminated the ferry fare in 1997 as part of his “One City, One Fare” that afforded New Yorkers free transfers within the city transit system: Practicality and fairness.

It was the right thing to do back then to incorporate the ferry into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plan to eliminate two-fare zones within the city. And it made perfect sense for the city to spare itself the cost of installing and maintaining turnstiles and allowing riders to board the boats for free; most simply transfer free from buses and trains anyway.

Staten Island commuters had been paying two or three fares to get to and from work in Manhattan prior to that time. And Staten Island commuters then had - and still have today - relatively few transit options compared to people who live in other parts of the city. The city must not be allowed to seek to exploit marooned Staten Islanders to help solve its budget problems.

The IBO maintains it doesn’t endorse any of these ideas; it merely puts them out there for city budget-makers to consider.

The trouble with such spitballing is that these ideas, however far-fetched or unfair, can get political traction, especially if they mean people in the more politically powerful boroughs will be spared other budget cuts.

We note that restoring the ferry fare comes up every time the city faces budget troubles, just as there’s talk of using Fresh Kills again for garbage every time the issue of the city’s solid waste disposal costs is raised.

Back in 2007, the New York Post published an editorial calling for the reinstatement of the 50-cent ferry fare, as well as the privatization of the Staten Island Ferry, insisting it was vital that “all New Yorkers pay their fair share” - as if Staten Islanders who use the ferry don’t. Government is supposed to subsidize mass transit.

We expect that this time, too, others, prompted by the IBO’s finding, will take up the cry to start collecting fares on the ferry again.

It’s up to Staten Island elected officials, other leaders and ordinary citizens to send the message loud and clear: Don’t even think about it.